Many Latter-day Saints are familiar with the first law of thermodynamics. It is the law of conservation of energy which states that energy can be transformed, but never created nor destroyed. But how many of us are familiar with the second law of thermodynamics? Probably not as many which is unfortunate because the second law provides rational, scientific-based evidence for the existence of God.

The second law of thermodynamics states that matter in a closed system such as the universe will move toward a more disorganized state assuming outside forces are not acting on the universe. If we assume that the universe is a closed system and that there is no god (outside force), then we should see disorder growing around us. But the net level of disorder in the universe does not appear to be increasing. It appears that the opposite is happening. With the exception of rare supernova, everywhere in space we see evidence of highly organized planetary and biological systems forming.

However, the second law of thermodynamics also states that disorder (entropy) may decrease in a closed system by chance alone. This means that star and planetary systems may organize without influence from an outside force (i.e., god). Atheists kind of like this part because it suggests that complex organization can occur without divine intervention. Now I argue that the chances of spontaneous complex organization (low entropy) occuring by chance are very slim, but in all fairness to atheists, as Jim Carey's character on Dumb and Dumber reminds us, even with extremely small odds, there's still a chance.

My point is that notwithstanding Dumb and Dumber's philosophy on rare events, the chances that such an event took place without divine intervention is so rare that I have to agree with Warwick University philosophy professor Roger Trigg who claimed that “It’s much simpler to believe in God who created the one universe, rather than saying . . . we just happened to . . . come up in this way [by chance].” I would add that as a member of the church, it is not only simpler to believe in a creator, it is more logical to believe in a creator from a faith-based perspective.

It is certainly true that at the big bang, the Universe was at incredibly low entropy. This is a big mystery to science, as you know. There are some interesting ideas, like those suggested by Krauss' in his book "A Universe from Nothing: Why There is Something Rather Than Nothing" and Brian Green's book "The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos" But at the end of the day, they are just some well thought out ideas.

I'm not sure how dark energy plays in to entropy as you describe it, but regular matter is gaining entropy as stars expend their energy until gravity wins and the stars die out. Our planet gets all of its energy from a star that is steadily dying. This star provides the energy to drive life on Earth. One day our star will run out of energy and expand into a red giant and vaporize our planet and the rest of the inner solar system until finally the Sun will become a beautiful planetary nebulae in some alien's telescope. Eventually, after a great deal of time, there won't be enough raw energy in the Universe (low entropy matter like Hydrogen and Helium) to create new stars to replace the old dead stars. The Universe will grow dim and cold. That sounds like entropy at work.

Let's assume though that you are correct and entropy is not increasing due to the power of God. Where did such a low entropy being like God come from? Which is harder to explain, a Universe created by an as of yet unknown natural low entropy source, as Brian Green suggests or an all powerful and intelligent deity that can command entropy at will? Neither one can be explained and both nature and God seem to be in violation. One thing is for sure though, once low entropy event at the big bang happened, the Universe as we know it has been increasing in entropy. Perhaps that event required God, but once it happened, gravity and the laws of physics took over to form us and everything we see. Entropy will win the day eventually.

Reply

Dave C.

6/23/2012 06:20:24 am

Hi Stan,

Your second paragraph gives a text book description of what will happen to our earth, solar system, and universe. . . without intervention from God who will, we are told, celestialize the earth. Dramatic natural processes like supernova are taking place in other areas of the universe, so why not here? I am sure that the Creator lets nature run its course in areas where there is no need for Him to intervene. But from what the Bible teaches, it looks like he will intervene here.

The origins of a low entropy being like God baffles me. Simply put, who created Him, and who created His creator, and so on? How could there not be a beginning!? At the same time, how could there be a beginning? Could a God just poof into existence? I don't think so. So I am left to despair between the two impossibilities of the origins of deity. Someone in my situation could escape this conundrum by escaping to the allure of atheism and blind evolutionary processes, unless, that is, he has had several strong spiritual experiences clearly pointing to the existence of an all-loving, knowing, and powerful creator.